Having just celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends Friday, June 5, Willie Mae Heath remains full of life.

Her secret?

“Be happy,” she said, with an infectious smile while sitting in the dining room of The Garden Club, a retirement living center in Bellevue.

Heath was born in Kanas in 1909. She lived in a small home with two sisters and four brothers. When Heath was 12 her mother died and she and her older sister took over the house duties at night and watched out for their younger siblings.

Heath remembers back to her days in school and visiting her grandparents in Oklahoma.

“One of my fondest memories is visiting with my grandmother and the lessons she would teach me when we would go for walks in the woods,” Heath explained. “I learned so much from her.”

Heath met her future husband when she was 15 and by 19 they were married. After nearly 60 years of marriage, her husband passed away and she relocated to Bellevue to be near her daughter and family.

“My husband moved into the house across the street from me when I was 15,” she said smiling. “We were so happy and in love all those years. We just got along so well. He was a gentleman.”

Heath’s only daughter has gifted her with three grandchildren. There also are multiple great-grandchildren.

“Family is so very important. They are what makes me smile,” she said.

Heath also spends her days doing the things she loves like painting with watercolor and pressing flowers for stationary cards. She also stays very active in her community church and loves to visit with friends.

“I try to be friends with everyone,” she said. “There are so many nice people here. It is easy to be happy.”

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.